Kinsale is one of the oldest population centers in Ireland. Its position on the estuary of the Bandon River has been associated with fishing, sailing and commerce far beyond memory. It as designated as a medieval wine port in 1576 and Desmond Castle was built as a Customs House also in the 1500's. Kinsale has been the site of several battles, the most famous being in 1601 when the Spaniards occupied the town for 100 days against the might of Elizabethan England.